This windy fishing town that once boasted a thriving herring industry, is again drawing national attention, this time as a showcase for Japan's burgeoning windmill power-generation industry.
This summer, the town with a population of 4,500 was full of life, as hundreds of people, many from electric power companies, trading firms, environmental organizations and municipalities, visited a site dotted with 20 huge windmills.
The town's only hotel, Tomamae Hot Spring Fuwatto, had more than 23,000 guests in the first three months of business since May.
The 300-hectare farm hosting the site, Tomamae Green Hill Wind Park, houses a 20,000-kw windmill power station built last October by Tomen Corp., an Osaka-based trading house.